Chapter 28 Dreaming
The old lady did arrive ten days ago, but she was delirious for the first few days and didn't even remember arriving so early. So Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang postponed the old lady's arrival by a few days.
This is different from the days when the old lady disappeared in Qingquan Town.
What neither Gu Jiao nor Xiao Liulang knew was that Xue Ningxiang heard the commotion when the old lady collapsed in front of Gu Jiao's door.
She felt something was off about that person right then and there...
"Ah Xiang," came the old woman's voice from next door.
Xue Ningxiang composed herself and went to her mother-in-law's room: "Mother, you're awake?"
"I think I just heard someone come into the house. Did something happen to my second son?" With one of her two sons already gone, the old woman's biggest worry now is her youngest son who has gone to serve in the army.
Xue Ningxiang said softly, "Second brother is fine. It was a patient from the leprosy mountain who escaped. The soldiers came to search our area, but they've already left."
"Man or woman? How old?"
“He didn’t say,” Xue Ningxiang said.
“How could a leprosy patient come here… cough cough…” Xue Ningxiang’s mother-in-law coughed violently twice, mumbled a few words, and then drifted off to sleep.
Xue Ningxiang closed her eyes.
Although she was no good person, Gu Jiao had saved her life.
The officials' search for people did not cause a major uproar in Qingquan Village, and everyone continued with their lives as usual.
Gu Jiao sometimes felt that the old lady had a remarkable background, otherwise why would she attract so many officials to search her, and why would they not reveal any information about her to the outside world?
But when Gu Jiao glanced at the old lady who was holding a can of sunflower seeds and cracking them like a squirrel, she instantly realized she was overthinking things.
With nothing else to do, Gu Jiao mended all of Xiao Liulang's clothes at home.
She was right; using cloth as human skin would make mending much easier!
When Xiao Liulang returned home, he found that his tattered clothes had been mended, and he knew without guessing that Gu Jiao had done it.
Gu Jiao had never mended clothes before, at least not since he arrived. But surprisingly, the mending was quite good, with fine, even, and neat stitches. The only puzzling thing was that while other people's sewing had the loose threads inside, she left all the loose threads outside.
The old lady's recovery was far better than that of Xiao Liulang's elder brother. Xiao Liulang had asked the doctor how long it would take for his brother to lose his infectivity, and the doctor said a month. Although the old lady had been taking medicine for less than a month, her recovery had already far exceeded the expected duration, and she was already able to eat at the same table with others.
Xiao Liulang never expected that the old lady would almost choke him to death during their first meal together.
“I’ll say this,” the old lady said, taking a sip of the corn and pork bone soup indifferently, “What’s going on between you two? I’ve been here for so long and I haven’t seen you two sharing a room.”
Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao both choked.
"My husband is still young," Gu Jiao said without changing her expression.
The old lady looked Xiao Liulang up and down and nodded: "That's right, he's too young, he's too small to be properly cared for."
Xiao Liulang: "..."
——
After the Wu family suffered a setback at the hands of the old lady, the villagers wondered if they would find a chance to get revenge. However, they did not leave their homes for several days.
Actually, it wasn't that they didn't want to come out, but rather that Old Master Gu wouldn't allow them to.
The incident last time caused quite a stir, and eventually it reached Old Master Gu's ears.
Before his death, the third brother promised to take good care of Gu Jiao. Although he didn't say it verbally, he meant that he would take care of Gu Jiao for the rest of his life and find her a son-in-law to live with him in the future.
The reason for breaking the promise was mainly because they believed Gu Jiao was a jinx who had already killed the third brother and his wife, and they couldn't let her bring misfortune to Da Shun and the others.
However, Old Master Gu never tolerated Wu asking Gu Jiao and her husband for household expenses. Wu told the old man that Xiao Liulang wanted to support him and also pay for Da Shun's education.
Grandpa Gu believed it.
Now that he knew the truth, Old Master Gu felt utterly humiliated: "From now on, Liu Lang must study on his own. Don't ask him for money anymore!"
Ms. Wu vomited blood.
Madam Wu said, "What can a cripple possibly accomplish? He's just wasting money. I heard he failed the exam again! We should give the money to Da Shun. If Da Shun becomes successful in the future, he'll definitely help him out!"
Her son, Da Shun, is destined to become a scholar who passed the imperial examinations. Even a simple meal from a scholar would be enough for the little cripple's family to live on.
Old Master Gu still cares about his reputation. The villagers are gossiping about him behind his back, and he can't bring himself to ask his grandson-in-law for money again.
Old Master Gu warned Wu not to bring her daughter-in-law to the Gu family to cause trouble again.
These past few days haven't been easy for Wu's mother and daughter-in-law; Gu Dashun has also suffered his first major setback.
He finally found out who the dean preferred—it was Xiao Liulang, a person he would never have expected.
Xiao Liulang is not only disabled, but also uneducated. Apart from his face, he is almost useless.
He just couldn't understand how such a slacker could catch the dean's eye.
Gu Dashun began to recall the changes in the dean's attitude towards him. At first, the dean praised him more than once and even met with him alone, but ever since Xiao Liulang went to see the dean, the dean has ignored him.
He asked himself if he had anything in terms of talent or learning that would displease the dean.
Did Xiao Liulang say something to the dean that made the dean think he was morally flawed and develop a dislike for him?
That must be it!
Otherwise, why would the dean reject himself and choose Xiao Liulang, who always comes in last place?
He seemed like an honest and upright person, but I never expected him to be so wicked behind the scenes!
Thinking that Xiao Liulang had stolen what originally belonged to him, Gu Dashun felt that Xiao Liulang was really too despicable.
"Xiao Liulang, you just wait!"
——
That night, Gu Jiao had another dream.
As expected, she dreamed of Xiao Liulang again.
Xiao Liulang had just finished copying the book he was working on, and he took it to the study at noon. Unexpectedly, a theft occurred at the study, and suspicion fell on Xiao Liulang.
Actually, there was an eyewitness at the time, Gu Dashun. Gu Dashun saw with his own eyes that Xiao Liulang left before the owner entered the study, and he also knew that Xiao Liulang had never entered the owner's room.
However, Gu Dashun refused to reveal the truth and insisted that only Xiao Liulang went upstairs. Although this did not directly prove that Xiao Liulang was the thief, it eliminated the suspicion of others.
However, Xiao Liulang was no pushover either, and he solved the case directly based on a few footprints in the backyard.
The case should have ended here, but the investigation delayed things considerably, and by the time Xiao Liulang returned to the village, a heavy snowfall had already begun.
Halfway there, the mule cart slipped and plunged into a ditch, disfiguring Xiao Liulang's face.
The hideous scars accompanied Xiao Liulang throughout his life, leaving an indelible shadow on him.
(End of this chapter)
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